While the nation pays homage to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 75th death anniversary today which is observed as Martyrs Day, it is high time for the establishments across the globe, both state and non state actors to realize the significance and relevance of the philosophy pro- pounded by this great Indian saint leader in the present day sce- nario, when major parts of the world are riddled by violence and terrorism of the worst kind. The whole world stands witness to the fact that despite a massive movement against terrorism launched by the only super power in the global sphere, i.e. USA, terrorism continues to thrive even today. While US keeps boasting about success in eliminating Terrorism, the fact remains that violence being perpetrated by the barbaric groups be it ISIS, the Al Qaida, LeT, or any other organization following fundamentalist ideology, has only increased with the Dracula of terrorism spreading its ten- tacles to the other peaceful areas of the globe with every passing day. In the modern day world a Welfare State with the people liv- ing in a peaceful atmosphere is the main objective of every nation, more so in case of nations having adopted a democratic set up and in this regard the Gandhian philosophy is crystal clear so much so that the father of our nation stands as an inspiration for leaders across the globe. Gandhiji always considered the wel- fare of the poor as the centre of his movement for independence and being a worshipper of non-violence clearly understood that violence is no solution to any problem which he proved by dint of his conviction and ability by standing up fearlessly against injus- tice besides possessing the attributes of not bowing before injus- tice. In fact this living embodiment of communal harmony had studied the history of many religions and scriptures with the holy Gita inspiring him to follow the Karma based ideology besides being highly impressed by the Karbala incident of Islamic history which he included in his life. Even the global leaders who advo- cate the great change in the world have found solutions to the problems by following the path of non-violence, recognized the relevance of Gandhian ideals in this age of violence and terror- ism. Impressed by Gandhian philosophy that emphasizes upon the world society to face the crushing policies with peaceful ones, the portraits and statues of Mahatma Gandhi can be seen promi- nently installed in almost every nation across the world. Gandhiji always reminds that true results don’t come from government but only from the public. Similarly Gandhi’s appreciation for cottage industries was because he always thought for the benefit of the poor so that the aim of welfare state could be achieved in the true spirit because he knew that revolution in society or development can be brought only by providing the basic necessities of life to the people at grass root level especially the poor and down trod- den. Gandhiji was highly concerned about the leprosy patients in India and carried out selfless efforts in the direction of treatment and rehabilitation of Leprosy patients. His statement that “Eliminating leprosy is the only work I have not been able to com- plete in my lifetime.” should be enough motivation for the people across the nation to initiate result oriented measures in accom- plishing all targets. Hence the relevance of putting in practice the Gandhian policy both at home and abroad is the dire necessity of today. Unfortunately when the big players around the globe are adopting the philosophy of this great saint it seems that his own nation failed to adopt his philosophy vigorously as a result of which the nation has failed to check the gap between rich and poor which continues to widen with each passing day.
Polarization and communal tendencies continue to threaten the peaceful atmosphere in the land of the most reverred Indian leader. However, with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the reins of the world’s largest democracy in his hands, there have been unprecedented efforts to adopt and implement Gandhian principles in true letter and spirit. It is hoped that today the best homage and tribute to the Saint leader would be to initi- ate vigorous efforts to ensure that Gandhian philosophy and prin- ciples are adopted for establishing peace in the societies across the globe.